Madden 15: Release Date, Top NFL Player Ratings and Most Intriguing New Features

The Madden video game series is one of the most popular in history, and this year’s edition, Madden NFL 15, will be released on Aug. 26 in North America and Aug. 29 internationally.

Hardcore football fans and gamers are ready to witness the upgrades and changes that will come with EA Sports’ second release on the next-generation consoles. The graphics will be better, but many are also hoping for major improvements with gameplay.

Here is the full list of top player ratings and the most intriguing new features.

Many jaded video game fans will claim that the latest edition of Madden is nothing more than a glorified roster update, but those people are flat-out wrong. Madden NFL 15 is a huge upgrade from last year’s game and will satisfy even the hardest-to-please gamers.

EA Sports has made major upgrades over the last year.

One of the biggest upgrades comes in the play-calling aspect of the game. Instead of the normal "Ask Madden" option, gamers will be given several options that consider the down and the opposition’s strengths and weaknesses. Using the success rates of other players and keeping track of how many times a play is used by an individual gamer, you will be able to spot trends and look to mix up the plays to keep defenses honest.

The new play-calling techniques also have the option to bunch plays by concept. If your team has a speedy back who likes finding open space, there will be a set of plays built to stretch defenses wide and opens up wider running lanes on the outside.

Another major upgrade comes along the defensive line. While many fans of Madden consider those who use the defensive line when playing novices, that isn’t the case anywhere with the War in the Trenches 2.0 improvements.

With each player along the line possessing certain talents, gamers will now be able to utilize the bull rush for powerful tackles or spin moves for ends with more finesse. Just like real football, Madden games can be won or lost in the trenches, meaning fans can now impact the play of the offensive and defensive lines more than ever.

For years, there have been complaints about tackling in the Madden series. The introduction of the "Hit Stick" revolutionized the way gamers view playing defense, but the game has been changed again with the tackle cone. Instead of needing to make contact before initiating a tackle in the game, any player within the tackle cone for a user-control player is in range.

Madden developers have also done a nice job eliminating most of the complete missed tackles based on mistimed moves. Watching a defender fall down because of a premature button press was a sobering experience, but this year’s game puts the focus more on which tackle to use and less on the timing.

All of the changes and upgrades EA Sports has made sound like what the fans have been calling for over the years. With the excitement building as the release date approaches, gamers and football fans are ready for Madden NFL 15.